


Returning to the City

by ainamclane



Series: Little Black Dress RT Challenge [9]
Category: Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, Sentinel/Guide Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 08:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5369108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ainamclane/pseuds/ainamclane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connor came online as a Sentinel and is now returning to the city and the new position at the hospital. As first impressions went, the one with his Guide sucked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Returning to the City

**Author's Note:**

> Note for those reading the whole series: timeline is after Sam&Dean have been to see Gabriella, Shay, Matt and Kelly but you don't need to have read that to understand this part.
> 
> only implied relationships, could be gen

Being back in the city wasn’t easy. Overseas, in critical areas, deep in the deserted areas of Africa, then Afghanistan, Iraq and the noises of bombings and war, followed by the noise of the population of India and back to Africa.

Connor had seen quite a lot over the years that he was overseas to follow the call he had felt to help people. To help those that didn’t live of the funds of their parents. To help those that couldn’t afford any treatment much less clean drinking water.

He had. He travelled to quite a few countries, thankfully having not to worry about the money his grandfather had left him in a found. After paying for his education.

Connor had loved his grandfather quite a lot and it was the only person besides his mother that actually understood him and supported his decision to go to med school. Since his mother actually was the owner of the company and managed the business next to her father until he had passed away and his father had also stepped up.

Not having finished med school by the time his grandfather had passed, Connor had been thrown for a loop. He took a semester to continue working practically instead of finishing his degree on time and he was glad he had taken the time in the ER to practice and get a feel for the work instead the laboratories that he had been so fond of prior.

Once he had his degree in his pockets, the ink not even dry yet and the hat of his robes still in the air, he decided to go overseas. While scheduling his work and the funds his mother sent to various hospitals and to Doctors Without Borders, she, too, passed away unexpectedly.

The time away was needed because the resulting rift in his family had been disastrous and the grief and denial over their mother’s death had made Claire vicious, angry, mad and lash out at him. He was the black sheep of the family that didn’t want to work in the store business.

His father, drunk most of the time now, had ignored both his children and the grief of both his grandfather and mother in two months’ time was enough for Connor to make him run away of sorts. His father was an asshole and resented him more than ever that he didn’t go to business school to support him in the family business. If it were up to him, Connor would have been disowned by now.

Thank god his mother and grandfather had known this was to happen and had made the inheritance foolproof. Not that Connor had touched any of his finances since he had left for overseas.

Working for Doctors Without Borders in difficult situations was bad enough. He knew that improvising more often than not was shaping him in some ways after the fine medical facilities where he had worked at. Which he had studied with.

It was good for two years. Never going home, staying away. Until the camp he was staying in got attacked.

Connor quickly reminded himself where he was and focused on the music in his ears. The earbuds were keeping the city noise out and he relaxed to some degree. It was difficult being back in the city where he had grown up in.

The first day back. 

The new hospital and new people he would be working with.

His family.

A noise, loud, drew him out of his thoughts and the train crashed. He fell down, bumping his head and rolled his eyes, getting up quickly again. Just his luck that this would be his first day.

Thank god most of the people here were lucky enough that he was a doctor and already on hand.

He walked through the carriage quickly and assessed the injuries. He quickly searched his bag for post-it notes that he always carried around since university. He had three colored ones and quickly hefted a few yellow ones to the jackets of a few slightly injured passengers. They were still only scratched but Conner could feel that there were a lot more people that were injured.

He quickly walked through the second carriage, noticing that luckily most people were sitting and only a few had been standing to begin with. He quickly checked on an elder guy being cradled by his wife when he assessed that he was fine if slightly concussed. Marking him with yellow again he went to look out the door.

The sight there was making him shudder slightly but he quickly got a grip on himself and opened the door, looking for a way down the highline and to the next carriage without dropping one down.

The sirens in the distance were already getting closer but he knew he needed to go in, at least into the one carriage that was already down on the ground.

Hoping his high adrenaline would protect him, he took a jump down, both feet landing on the ground and rolling elegantly. It was helpful to have learned a few tricks to survive deserted areas.

Continuing with the coloring pattern, he went over to a person and shook his head sadly. There was nothing he could do and by the time the first ambulance was arriving it would be too late. He left a white post-it with that body.

The police cars piled up first and started running around but Connor called out to one detective: “Hey, get away from the carriage or it might drop!”

The cop eyed him and nodded: “Who are you?”

“Dr Rhodes, I was on the train,” he explained quickly: “Yellow markers for lightly injured, red for more serious cases and the white ones are a lost cause.”

“We’ll tell the others. Do you need assistance?”

“No, detective-“

“Dawson,” the cop replied and looked across the chaos: “My sister should be arriving with the next truck. She’s a Sentinel and EMT.”

“Good,” he replied and turned back, helping a few people that were staggering or crawling out of the carriages that were littered around.

It was a pretty fucked up sight. Connor hated this but he quickly assessed the area. Everyone around him was still stressed highly and it was nearly bringing down his shields. He took a deep breath and focused on the next person in front of him. Red. Then yellow again. White. Another red.

He looked up when he felt a Guide and Sentinel Pair approaching him, pointed out by the Detective Dawson. The casual touch the man settled on the Sentinel was telling and he called out: “Sister Dawson?”

She focused on him and dragged Shay with her to see him: “Sentinel?” she replied and looked at the three paper blocks he had in his hand. She nodded when she quickly assessed the red one in front of them.

“I’m Doctor Rhodes, I was on the train. If you need help, call me.” He addressed and then left her and her Guide to deal with the wounded, snatching a pair of gloves the Guide offered him and walked further down the people, helping them sit down.

There were a total of five deaths. It was a small number compared to how many people were on the train but luckily most people had been sitting and had been scratched only.

The green ones were the ones to worry about now. He moved around, finding a few people stuck and looked at the Guide and Sentinel EMTs that had arrived seconds before a fire truck had pulled up: “Dawson! Get your Rescue here.”

A man with fire brigade uniform came running: “I’m Sentinel Kelly Severide with Rescue and my Guide Matthew Casey with Ladder 51.”

“Sentinel Connor Rhodes. I’m the doctor and this one needs to go first if possible,” he pointed at one guy and then the other next to him: “That one second. The others are more stable.”

“Understood, Alpha,” Kelly Severide replied and frowned for a second, as did his Guide but both men were trained enough to respond right away to the work ahead of them and organizing both their teams.

It was amazing to feel them working around him. The team was well tuned to each other and he could feel Gabriela and Shay working their asses off while Conner himself kept a check on all heartbeats and vitals he could grasp.

“Sentinel Rhodes?” a man asked and he looked at the other man. It was a Sentinel, a cop: “I’m Jay Halstead. Can you walk me through what happened?”

Focusing on his patient and knowing there was nothing he could do right now but monitor them while the other EMTs were arriving and handling the less serious cases, he focused on the Sentinel: “The noise I heard was consistent of the crane overbalancing and crashing into the highline and bringing it down. I fell myself so I’m not quite sure.”

“Where were you?”

“In the second last carriage,” he replied: “I jumped down.”

The other Sentinel nodded in understanding and pretty much looked at the spot where he had jumped down to. The drop was at least ten meters but Connor ignored it. Mentally, he also corrected the ten meters to thirty-two feet. Damn the American system. Once you were used to the metric it was difficult converting back even if he had grown up with it.

“Thank you, Alpha Rhodes.”

“I’m not bonded; I shouldn’t be your Alpha.” He replied quickly and sighed. He knew he was high leveled given his mental abilities but it grated on him to be high enough unbonded that others recognized him.

The Sentinel shrugged: “You feel like family already.” The detective turned around then and walked off to where he saw a fellow cop, his Guide, approaching. He followed them briefly with his senses long enough to get her name. Erin.

After that, everything went rather quickly and Connor was heading to the hospital with that first victim while he had told Gabriela to stick with the second tricky case given that she could follow with her senses what would be happening to the man.

Arriving on this way in his new hospital was rather interesting and he barely got a memory of the layout and yelling orders already. He was so focused on doing the compressions on the man’s chest that he barely missed him.

Guide. His Guide. A man dressed in the red uniform of the hospital, looking at him like crazy, ordering blood units and then talking at him: “I’m taking it from here.”

“Nope, he’s mine,” Connor all but snarled. The man under his fingertips was a Guide. 

“Who the hell is this guy?”

“Says he’s a doc,” a EMT said and Connor would have huffed hadn’t he been doing compressions.

“Get off the gurney, Doc. I’m Senior Resident in this ER.” The Guide, his Guide, said, irritated.

“Yeah? Well, I’m your new trauma fellow!” he snapped back, irritated with the other man.

After that it was hectic and touch and go until the man was stabilized. He was irritated as hell about his reaction to his Guide and sighed. This would be hell to make up to him. If his Guide was anything like him, he wouldn’t be easy to be around with after that.

Taking a breather, he walked out of the room, a woman already walking up to him: “Dr Rhodes, welcome.” She shook his head rightly and frowned at his slash in his arm. He hadn’t even noticed until now: “Oh, are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he nodded and shrugged it off. 

“Sharon Goodwin,” she continued.

He looked around briefly, still following her lead while he needed to get a look at his surroundings: “Pleasure to meet you. Is every day like this?”

“Some days we’re busy,” she replied with a smile and their attention was captured by another patient coming in.

Seeing that the young man was taken on, he finally detoured to the next station and took out some needle, antiseptic and threat. The gash on his arm needed to be clean before he could take any other patient and decimating the risk of infection.

Dialing down his sense of touch was easy enough. He wasn’t more grateful than now to have come online as a Sentinel far away from the civilized Sentinel and Guide Centers that had no clue nowadays what a Sentinel was supposed to do with his Senses. He had learned to mentally dial down the touch feeling in part of his body. Currently it was serving him well, having dialed down his touch so that the needle going through his skin was barely more than a dull pressure.

Being interrupted by one of the nurses was good and helpful, given that he couldn’t use his second hand to pull his skin tight. She of course commented on his neat stitching and he smiled, telling her the truth about where those were from. Riyhadh, Saudi Arabia. He had worked as a surgeon there and had been one of the best. His sense of touch had already been online by the time he started there, after the paperwork for Doctors Without Borders had released him out of serving them further.

Falling into small talk with her was easy. She was almost like a Guide. Still latent but close to coming online. She was calm enough at any rate to project already without really knowing she was doing it.

Connor really hoped she could be soothing his Guide. Dr Will Halstead, as he had found out. The brother of Jay, the detective. 

It was interesting to realize that he had accepted the other Sentinel as family within seconds of meeting him and now he wondered if it was in any case related to his Guide being that one’s brother. It was almost as if he could sense his Guide in the presence of that Sentinel and therefore had recognized him as his beta right away.

An interesting thought and theory to be studying in the future for sure. He would be mentioning that on his next check in to the SGC. Which would be sooner rather than later given that they had gotten wind of the last Alpha – Sentinel Severide – to recognize him as Alpha.

It was a position he really didn’t want, much less need.

He was finishing up his stitches quickly, wrapping it and heading for the locker rooms to finally take on his cloths. He was throwing his nice jumper away and hated that the blood stains wouldn’t ever come out.

He had loved that shirt. It was from a tiny small cloths factory in India. Hand made and natural colors.

Interestingly enough, he was following his Guide with his senses around already and found that his Guide was well liked and respected. He knew the other man was very capable and getting off on the wrong foot had just been a big problem.

Apparently, his Guide hadn’t recognized him at all just yet which wondered him why that was. He had been seen as a Sentinel within seconds on the scene of the crash.

Ignoring those troubles for now, he headed for the break room, hearing his Guide in there but not particularly interested in talking but he did need to fix this. Will was a tad more antagonistic to him but it was probably just because he was calling shots in the ER as well as he was and the semi-catastrophic meeting they had.

He did know he had impressed the other man though when he mentioned having been to study med in New Mexico. Away from the high class schools that were most famous for medicine. Not that the Autonoma wasn’t well known in medical circles.

His Guide was called away then and hadn’t given him any indication what was going on.

*

The next few days passed in a blur. He was constantly busy with getting to know the staff, the layout and of course, decorating his apartment.

Nearly fully giving away that he was a Sentinel to the regular staff wasn’t on his agenda for now and running to find the baby nearly gave him away but there simply was no time to lose in asking that man where he had found the girl.

Seeing the tiny, small baby stuffed into a backpack was nearly too much for his Sentinel-mind and the instinct to protect that he nearly forgot that the girl that had given birth was just that, a girl.

The police would be taking over and the justice system would be working its ways. He had to get used to that one as well.

Out in the fields in Kenia or Mozambique, the Sentinel was the law. He had been the law.

Back in the city, it was a total different matter. One that he had to be careful not to give away.

Feeling his beta, Jay Halstead, arriving was such a relief that he walked directly to meet the other man: “Hey there,” he greeted, still upset about the baby and the other man apparently read something off him because he looked surprised and reached out, steadying Connor unknowingly.

“We should talk,” the cop announced took him to the break room: “Why are you so rattled? I could feel you all over the place.”

It was the first indicator that the other man had a mental ability as well. Connor sighed: “We had a fourteen-year-old who was brought in and she just gave birth. She stuffed the baby in a backpack and left it to die.”

Jay nodded: “That would do it but it was something else as well.”

Connor sighed and looked out through the glass walls and found that Will was eying them strangely. He focused on his Beta instead: “I was with Doctors Without Borders for two years. I came online in that time and I was far away from civilization.”

“You were their law,” the cop nodded: “Sentinels do have that position within remote civilizations that have not yet been colonialized or westernized. I was a Ranger. I was a judge and executer there.”

Wincing, Connor knew what that really meant. Both men had the feral instinct to kill and protect. It was weird, especially for a doctor but Connor had overcome his sense of killing twice now, choosing to let the patient live even though they had been guilty of a crime that was hard for his Sentinel to ignore.

“No one really knows what it is like to come back to a city as big as Chicago,” Jay said and smiled tiredly: “My Guide knows and she is awesome.”

“I didn’t meet her,” Connor admitted: “And I think I have far more troubles with my Guide.”

Seeming to consider it for a moment, Jay tilted his head: “I don’t get the feeling you are bonded. Who is your Guide?”

Connor wanted to tell him but said Guide opened the door then: “Jay?”

Apparently, Connor gave something away because Jay’s eyes widened briefly before he turned to his brother: “Hey there Will.”

“What are you doing here? Something up?”

“Just Sentinel business,” he replied and Will’s startled eyes focused on Connor: “You are a Sentinel?”

“I am,” Connor admitted and suddenly, one shield after the other was dropped by Will. Now he knew how that man didn’t have the single clue that he was his Sentinel.

Jay was there a second later, pushing mental shields at Connor: “Not yet, Alpha. Your instincts to kill are too strong with this kid around. It could damage any bond.”

Will frowned and suddenly seemed to realize what was going on because Jay had come back from his tour damaged, wild and with a different sense of justice: “You’re my Sentinel.”

Connor nodded: “I am. I cannot do this now,” he whispered and stalked away, looking at Jay with a frown and he barely heard the other man telling him to stop by at Molly’s after his shift so they could figure this out.

What Connor also heard was Will’s and Jay’s conversation. 

“He’s my Sentinel, I cannot believe-“

Jay interrupted him: “He’s a good man. As far as I can tell, he was attacked and went feral. Otherwise his sense of justice wouldn’t be that severe to the child.”

“Is there any way I could help him? My first impression was that I don’t like him and with all my shields up I didn’t realize he was a Sentinel at all,” Will admitted: “I am not ready to bond with a stranger that I disliked somehow.”

“You can fall in love with your Sentinel without the mental bond forcing you, you know? You can remain friends with him and you can fight him on every turn and be bonded to him. That isn’t what the bonding is about.” Jay explained softly: “Give yourself time. Allow for him to stabilize himself as much as he can on you without getting cross with him. While you need the emotional bond to fully accept him, his senses already focused on you. Sound, smell, touch…It all would have happened instantly and unconsciously. He would have a very hard time letting you go now as it is.”

Will sighed: “That is what I never wanted.”

“I know. But please trust me when I tell you he will be your best friend if that is all you can give him. It is impossible for you to resent him. You already respect him for something. I can tell.”

Sighing resigned, Will nodded: “I will give him a chance.”

*

That chance presented himself when Russell, his old friend, had been brought in. Claire with them as well. Connor had taken the case right away, not letting anyone touch the other man that even after not seeing him since before he came online, was his pack. His family. It was unsettling and he fought everyone trying to take this case from him.

His father was worst of all.

Luckily, Will seemed to understand and though he was once again slightly annoyed that a good case was taken from him, he accepted that a Sentinel was more touch- accurate than he could ever be. Especially with those glass fragments.

The idea with the 3D scan and actually realizing who Connor was, was settling into Will slowly. Conner could feel the mental shields of Will changing. Slowly.

He hated the position of power and money Rhodes represented but Will also was lurking in a corner when his Dad, Claire and he himself had the fallout. One of the many. Will seemed even more open to him after that and accept him more easily.

Throughout surgery, Conner had focused hard on Russell’s heart and the vein under his fingertips. He had done everything he could to save his family’s friend.

Paying up in form of a nice blue tie that matched Will’s eyes was a piece of cake.

*

Finally meeting Erin face to face in Molly’s was a nice gesture of Jay to meet another Detective and a Guide strong enough to support them. Erin, sadly enough, wouldn’t be their Beta Guide.

That surprisingly was one Matt Casey. The one man lurking around in Molly’s as well and eying them at the table at various intervals as if he knew something was up but didn’t quite dare approaching.

Kelly Severide apparently wasn’t as nice and didn’t hide the fact that he was eavesdropping. Resigned, Connor looked straight at the Sentinel and Guide and indicated them to come to their table.

Jay nodded at both men that he had met before and focused back on Connor: “What happened to you?”

Eying the two new men on the table, Connor sighed: “I was in Iraq when a bombing went bad. As a result we had a lot of people coming to the hospital, among them three terrorists that took us hostage and attacked us.”

“You went feral?” Severide asked carefully but acceptingly.

Connor nodded: “I came online. I went feral and killed them before they realized what had happened. After that I left for Kenia where I was the only Alpha Sentinel in a big area. I was their judge.”

“And executioner,” Matt nodded: “I sense that you have difficulties accepting that part of you.”

Jay interrupted: “That is the part I struggled most with as well. I had to get that right before I could bond to Erin. Alpha Pair Ellison and Sandburg mentioned that if I wasn’t fully stable and confident I could be damaging my bond to my Guide.”

“That’s why you blocked me from Will?” Connor asked surprised. He may know quite a lot more about his abilities than others but this was something Jay obviously had more experience in.

Erin nodded and continued for her Sentinel: “Protecting family is still the highest priority. Especially protecting a Guide. Jay knew first hand how it could damage you.”

“How so?” Matt asked: “Have you seen someone like that?”

Tilting his head sideways to consider, Jay nodded: “I was in combat when I met a pair. They weren’t feeling right somehow but I doubt anyone without the mental ability would notice. They were off somehow and I could feel them always fighting the bond and a mental instability that was caused by the Sentinel’s inability to live with himself and the deaths he had caused. The Sentinel had gone feral and killed twenty people and was nearly breaking over it. I knew as well as anyone else did that the killings were justified. He had three Guides in the close area and the only solution instinct wise was to kill the threat. He did.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Connor nodded: “I killed. Those three men were the first. After that I killed four more that had raped women and children in the areas of Kenia. I chose to let a man that brutally attacked a woman live when he was hospitalized by fellow Sentinels. I could have easily killed him. The mental imprint of what he had done was clear as day.”

“But you didn’t. You are a just Sentinel and not gone rough,” Erin explained and looked at Matt for support, given that Matt by now must have realized he was Beta Guide. Matt caught on: “I can sense no evil in you or misusing the powers you were given. Being a Sentinel is always a balance of justice and pack law. You are in control and that is important that you accept yourself now. Accept that you’re also Alpha Sentinel and a Doctor.”

Connor honestly thought that he had dealt with this quite some time ago but sensing the Sentinel Jay and his history of going thorough the same was making him realize that it wasn’t quite that easy. He might even need help.

Kelly was nodding at them: “That is the first step. We’re here to help you out.”

Connor’s focus snapped to the door then. Will was approaching the bar and Jay’s senses focused on him a second later. Kelly nodded as well while Erin looked at Connor: “Will is your Guide?”

“Apparently so,” Connor nodded: “It is difficult working with him and shielding myself.”

“Will is doing a fair share of the shielding himself,” Matt replied: “He is trying hard not to bond with you before you’re ready even if he doesn’t want to.”

“Yes, I know,” Connor admitted and the fellow Doctor was looking at their table and sat down.

“Hey,” he greeted brightly: “Let me guess, Beta Guide?” he pointed at Matt and nodded at Severide: “And my brother would be Beta Sentienl?”

Connor replied given that he was the only one to actually acknowledge them as such: “Yes. Though I think you accepted Matt as your Beta Guide before I did.”

“That I did,” Will agreed: “What were you discussing before I came here?”

“Connor’s troubles with accepting the side of being a Sentinel.” Jay replied openly: “Same thing you helped me through.”

Will’s startled gaze settled on Connor and the dark haired man rolled his eyes that it was so easy for Jay to talk about his well guarded past this easily. Will’s smirk and the reassurance against his mental shield was easing him a little bit: “What happened to you?”

Connor shook his head and really wanted to tell his Guide but not right now. Not here with the Betas. Logically he knew there was no reason to keep secrets from them but instinct made him realize that they were his Betas and any weakness was that. A weakness.

Will seemed to realize what it was about and nodded. He would ask the Sentinel later, of that Connor was certain. At least their whole relationship had gotten on track now, courtesy of the tie-bet they had going on.

Connor was really glad. He needed a good working relationship with his Guide to found their personal relationship on. Not caring what it would turn out to be in any case. He needed the Guide in his life and luckily, both just starting at the new hospital with new contracts meant that at least work-related they were heading in the same direction.

Having Jay as his Beta Sentinel was also a good foundation for a personal relationship. It showed his Guide that his Sentinel-brother who had always taken care of him was agreeing to the Sentinel genetics had chosen for them.

Gabriela and Shay entering the bar pretty much broke them up. Matt and Kelly headed over to heir teammates for a round of drinks and Erin and Jay were heading back to their fellow detectives, one of them Detective Dawson, whom Connor had met on the crash-site. He nodded at the other man and got a nod in return before being waved over to the Detective table.

Sharing a look with Will, Connor wanted to see his Guide’s reaction given that he probably knew the other detectives already. Realizing, even without a bond, what the Sentinel wanted, Will nodded and moved to go with him.

It showed how surprised Will was at his own actions when the other man’s eyebrows rose a bit. Connor stepped into Will’s personal space and quietly spoke to him: “It’s okay if you don’t want to. This semi-bond is new for both of us and we’re not exactly friends yet.”

“Thanks,” the Guide replied but was stubborn: “for your consideration but I’ll stick close to you for now. We’ll arrange a date to get to know each other tomorrow?”

Connor nodded with a smile and indicated the man to lead the way. Arriving at the detectives table, Dawson shook the man’s hand right away: “Doc Rhodes.”

“Dawson,” he replied: “nice meeting you in different circumstances.”

“Likewise,” the detective replied with a smile and indicated one detective and officers after another: “Adam Ruzek, Alvin Olinsky, Kim Burgees, Kevin Atwater,” he introduced while looking at Jay and Erin: “I guess you know those two already.”

“That I do though I really don’t want to announce it to everyone who I am,” Connor explained easily to Dawson. The others frowned at him and Will patted his back: “Way to dig your own grave, Connor.”

Erin laughed while Jay grinned: “I can understand that not everyone wants to be known as a doctor upon being introduced with.”

Jay’s nice save relaxed Connor and he looked closely at the other detectives and officers on the table. It looked like a solid bunch of friends as well as teammates so that the Sentinel in him was pleased at the social environment his Beta Sentinel was having.

They spent quite a while with those detectives, Connor getting to know them and assessing the whole Molly’s crowd.

The doctors and nurses celebrating Natalie’s baby shower, enjoying the laughter while on the other side of the bar the firefighters were gathering with Gabriela and Shay. It was interesting to see that while they all were friendly to each other, mostly they stuck to their own friends. As if working with those people nearly twenty-four-seven wasn’t enough.

After staying a while with the detectives and doing small talk, Will dragged him away from them and over to the owner of the bar. By then Connor had been frowned at for drinking yet another soda instead of alcohol but the Sentinel hadn’t had any alcohol in way too long and wouldn’t want to risk any without a stable bond to his Guide. No way would he tempt fate and risk a zone.

Matt and Kelly were talking easily to them and so were Gabriela and Shay, the others then following along quickly and easily drawing Connor and Will into conversation. They of course already knew Will from seeing him around.

*

The dinner date they had agreed on for the next day was more or less a disaster. First, they had chosen a Sentinel friendly environment where they had small corners that were there for privacy so no one could eavesdrop as easily.

Ordering their food was easy and done without much fuss but it was then that other Sentinels and Guides registered them in the restaurant and recognized them as the highest Alpha. Which was seriously not okay to approach them all the time and introduce them. Will’s eyes were rolling and after the sixth pair stepped up to them, Will’s mental shields sent out a distress that luckily kept the others away then.

The food was amazing and perfectly matched to the needs of a Sentinel so there was nothing to complain about but of course as Murphy’s law always said, some other things always went wrong. Such as another dinner guest collapsing due to some heart disease while the Guide was next to their Sentinel, fearful and near zone.

Organizing for a EMT, both Connor and Will started CPR and with the Sentinel’s senses tried to assess what was wrong with the fellow Sentinel before the EMT arrived. Sadly, they were bringing the patient to a closer hospital than theirs was so after the whole craziness had subsided, they had paid and left before the Sentinel and Guides could look at them with even more admiration than they already were.

“What a crazy night,” Will commented and huffed with a laugh. He was good natured about it but Connor felt the man was rather stressed that they barely got to talk about anything important but light banter, easy conversation and the beginnings of a friendship.

Connor shrugged: “That it was. But it was good company.”

Will shook his head, his red hair briefly seeming golden in the light of a shop they passed on their walk to the L.

“I want to help you with your distress of coming online but I am afraid we’ll bond when I do,” Will admitted after a few more steps: “I don’t want this to damage our bond because we couldn’t maintain a distance until you were mentally stable.”

Connor sighed and cursed his inability to be a desirable Sentinel. He had always know he wasn’t the most easiest person to be around, shown by the way Claire had treated him, how Russell had been friendly but not his best friend. Almost as if they had known something was wrong with him and avoided him.

Not one single childhood friend had remained. 

“Don’t,” Will said and bumped his shoulder to Connor’s: “Stop beating yourself up about unnecessary things that are in the past. You are normal and reports indicate that quite a lot Sentinels that range in the Alpha level have difficulties with family ties. Maybe it is to remove them from society so they can to the jobs they need to do more accurate without being hindered or influenced by their families.”

It sounded logically and Connor looked at his Guide with a smile: “What, you’ve read that somewhere?”

“In a paper from Blair Sandburg, actually. His Anthropology doctorate. He said that about ninety-six percent of Sentinels that are Alphas or Primes are at one point distanced from their families.” Will admitted.

“Hm,” Connor thought and shrugged. He would need to work around those issues one way or another. So far it wasn’t affecting his senses that they weren’t bonded yet but he thought that could very well change soon.

Will indicated the stairs up to the L: “Where to?”

“You want to come home with me?” Connor asked surprised. He knew Will wouldn’t otherwise ask. It was hard keeping his distance to his Guide so far but he also didn’t much care of staying away. He always hoped that nature would provide any and all difficulties in bonding they could possibly have.

It was just a matter of what Will really wanted. He had heard that the Guide valued a friendship instead of following the bond brainlessly. Connor promised himself that he could do this.

Sitting down in Connor’s small apartment to meditate was a good idea. They both brought their spirit animals together on the plane and the small bond they had established already was enough to bring them together on the next plane.

Connor seriously admired Will’s fluffy Indian Giant Squirrel spirit animal while he himself had a Purple Martin. It was cute that they both had a purple colored spirit animal but probably not unusual.

What was unusual that they were rated Alpha but didn’t have something classy like Eagle, Wolf or other predatory animals.

“Surprisingly, I thought the same,” Will commented: “But other Sentinel and Guides are with the police or enforced services to that is probably why they’re predators. We are healers. That might just be the difference.”

“True,” Connor agreed: “I couldn’t imagine being on the streets and not helping people survive.”

Seeing the spirit plane was also a lovely sight. They could share thoughts here that were beyond reach in their normal state with the shields in place. If this was the closest Connor could be to his Guide, he would accept it. It was relaxing him so some degrees and stabilizing him tough he hadn’t even realized yet that he was straining under stress of not being properly bonded.

*

Thinking that the day Russell had been brought in was the last he would have to see of his family, Connor was sorely mistaken. Claire was just walking into the ER and looking around and actually locating Will.

“Excuse me, do you know where I find Dr Rhodes?” she asked politely but with an angry ring.

Being a Guide, Will sensed her hostility towards his Sentinel and immediately frowned at her, wrapping her empathically into a shield so she wouldn’t project her anger on Connor: “Connor is with a patient.”

“Of course he is,” she replied angrily: “You of course know that standing here instead of next to him.”

Will frowned and waved April away that was seeing their argument and hurried to him but Will was able to deal with her himself: “We all have patients to see and I know he just got a new one. Ms Rhodes, can I take a message?”

She looked surprised that he knew who she was and Connor sighed, trying to reign in his senses not to eavesdrop any further and instead focus on the lab results in his hands. It wouldn’t work. His instinct was to be with his Guide and while he could ignore Will talking to others, he couldn’t stop from the resentment he felt from Claire and the anger.

“No, he’ll have to contact me himself,” she replied bitterly: “I am willing to wait.”

Looking at her and mentally assessing her, Will nodded and showed her a few seats in a waiting area: “I’ll let him know you’re here.”

Connor knew he should deal with this anyways so he stepped up to them then: “Thanks Will, I already heard.”

Claire frowned at those words but Will nodded: “Senses?”

Connor winced because his Guide knew how instable he was currently, even more so with Claire here. And that with a fledgling bond. Yep, his Guide was impressive: “Hearing expanded, mentally blocked thanks to you, others are good.”

“I’ll feel if you need me,” Will said, patted his arm and walked away.

“You’re a Sentinel,” Claire said, surprise in her voice.

Connor nodded: “I came online in Iraq when I was attacked.”

“You were in Iraq?” Claire asked.

“I was with Doctors without Borders, yes,” Connor nodded and took a breath to focus on his mental shields: “Why are you here?”

“Because you left us again. You’re here and not here. You haven’t been to see Dad or me even once.” She accused.

“I saw you when you were accusing me of leaving you behind. I always wanted to be your family but you couldn’t deal with the fact that I didn’t want the family business. Dad just the same. I may not have been online back then but my empathic ability was already more sensitive and knew you resented me for something I loathed.” Connor said easily and tried to keep any emotion out of his voice: “Grandpa and Mom were the only ones who got me.”

Claire looked at him and sighed: “I wanted to let you know that Dad will be suing you and the hospital for performing surgery on Russell.”

“Then he’ll go down. The glass was very brittle and everyone was careful not to hurt Russell more than that. Without the fine touch of a Sentinel, he would have bleed to death. Ask the supervising surgeons with me there and then ask how many Sentinels were on duty and have the capabilities to perform such a surgery.” Connor replied: “There was no other doctor in the hospital in that moment that was better suited to help Russell. Russell is pack, if there was any other option to help him, I would have done so.”

Claire seemed seriously surprised because she realized he was right. She nodded and sighed: “I’ll tell him.”

“No, don’t. I don’t want anyone to know about me being a Sentinel unless they have to,” Conner added: “I was the best surgeon on hand. That is all everyone needs to know before we go in.”

“I’ll tell him anyways. You did after all inherit Dad’s family line of Sentinel and Guide genes,” Claire whispered: “Grandpa was smart enough to leave a trust fund for anyone with the gene.”

“And I don’t want it,” Connor said simply. He then walked away, not wanting to continue a pointless discussion about more money than he could possibly spend.

He should donate it all.

*

Sharon Goodwin came walking to him a few hours later and indicated that she wanted to have a talk: “Your father came by and sent one of the board managers again. They want me to fire you and sue you for operating on the man you saved. I don’t quite know how long I can fend them off and we do have a lawyer here to talk with you.” She indicated the man sitting behind them.

“If anyone can show that someone else here in the hospital was better suitable than me to do the surgery with, go ahead. Otherwise, they’ll probably lose the case. And don’t worry about my father possibly donating any money. He won’t.” Connor said swiftly: “I know we haven’t had much to talk and it is not required of doctors to certify for it but I’m a Sentinel. Russell is family and more precious than anyone else I had as a patient that day. If I had any doubt about the surgery, I would have done anything to protect him by making sure the best person was on hand.”

Sharon looked at the lawyer and the man looked smug: “I believe Dr Rhodes was indeed the best person to handle glass in a surgery. He probably was the only one to handle removing the glass due to feeling any crack the glass would get while pulling it out as well as accurate abilities to use the needle and threat. I believe this case is closed.”

The lawyer nodded: “I believe so, too. I will keep the information that he is a Sentinel private or else they might come at us complaining that he doesn’t have a Guide.”

Connor pressed his lips together and smirked slightly which Sharon noticed: “What?”

“I do have my Guide. Dr Halstead is very supportive given that he requires a friendship to fully bond. Jay Halstead is my Beta while Matt Casey is his Beta.” Connor explained.

“Good to know that,” Sharon smiled and wrote something down: “I guess since no one has that as a top priority of conversation right now that you are maintaining a low profile?”

“Yes. It is enough that probably most realized who my father is,” Connor replied and then walked away after being dismissed.

*

Things normalized then. Connor had the chance to get a balance and routine with working in the ER and meeting up with Will later on. Mostly one crashed at the place of the other given that their fledgling bond didn’t allow for them to be separated by much.

Will and Connor took it in stride. They were both okay with the arrangements for now even if they were slowly getting to a friendship base of which Will was willing to bond. Like Jay had said, it was pretty much impossible for them not to like each other.

They were just starting their shift, coming in together, talking and drinking coffee –Will – and masala tea – Connor – when the announcement came in that a shooting had happened in a theater. It was busy then, hectic and a huge pressure from the press.

Connor was busy patching up a teen when he registered his father outside with the reporters trying to get in. Sharon of course knew the man now and due to politics Connor couldn’t understand, asked the man to come in to avoid further press related pressure.

It wasn’t long before they had all their patients taken care of and were waiting for the lab results to come in. The lull in activity was actively used by everyone to restock on coffee and fluids and grabbing a bite before the hectic would start up again.

Will was already next to Connor, talking to him quietly and in a corner where they could overview the whole ER. April eyed them strangely as did Ethan. While Natalie, Sarah, and Maggie were talking, Daniel and Ethan were making their way over to the Sentinel and Guide to talk about a few possible treatment scenarios depending on the outcome of the lab results and the undergoing surgeries.

“I’m surprised the police hasn’t shown up to manage the circus out there,” Ethan commented and looked to where they could make our Sharon and Connor’s father –Cornelius – were coming in.

Connor groaned and buried his face in his hands which in turn got a strange look from all other inhabitants of the small room. Will winced and replied to Ethan: “Sentinel Halstead and Guide Lindsey are already en route.”

“Why would a Sentinel Pair-“ Daniel requested when his focus came to rest on Sharon and Mr Rhodes who entered the small room.

Sharon looked at Connor: “Are you willing to talk?”

It was Will, surprising everyone, that stepped into the way: “No. He’s not willing to talk. I fact, you being here, Sir, is nearly causing him to stress out. I kindly have to ask you to leave.”

“And who the hell are you?” the man asked with a frown and Sharon nodded at Will in a encouraging manner.

It was Connor that answered: “Dad, please follow my Guide’s orders and get the fuck out.”

The dead silence made Connor look up and wince. Damn, it had been a slip and a bad one at that. He hadn’t wanted to tell everyone about them, their status and his father in the same sentence. It probably showed that he was close to stressing because next thing he knew, April was next to him and Will, pressing a soothing hand to his forearm. Will looked at her surprised and April shrugged: “I came online a few minutes ago.”

“You’re handling this pretty amazingly.” Will commented.

“I took advanced classes due to being latent and in a high stress environment,” April replied smugly: “And given the Alpha status of you two, you’re probably a trigger as well.”

“Connor-“ his father started but Connor winced at the sound of his voice and Will’s mental shields were sheltering him even more.

“Not now,” Connor replied and jerked his head around, wincing yet again.

“Connor?” Will asked quietly: “Where is your hearing at?”

“Spiking,” the Sentinel admitted and damn, he really hated being this weak. It had gotten slightly worse throughout the day with the stress of the many patients and it wasn’t easing.

“You’re not fully bonded?” April asked surprised.

Will nodded: “Connor came online in a high stress environment. War can mess with a Sentinel and going on a killing rampage to protect the tribe can hinder a Sentinel from accepting his or her true gift. The armed forces usually get some therapy time but volunteers in those areas usually lack. Jay was similar difficult due to not going to those sessions ordered and I helped him. I know bonding now could damage us beyond repair and I’m doing everything I can.”

This was said so quietly that only April could hear well enough. The others had started talking in the background a bit to distract Cornelius from Connor and Sharon did her best to not murder anyone on sight, namely Rhodes Sr. 

The doors to the emergency opened again and in came Erin and Jay. They headed straight for them and Erin quickly expanded her senses to buffer Will and Connor as well.

Jay looked at the other Rhodes: “You’re not helping being here, Sir. If you are further stressing my Alpha I am forced to act out and remove you.”

“My son is no Alpha. He’s a coward and a stupid one at that.”

“Stupid enough to practice medicine,” Jay replied and placed himself between Connor and his father: “By Pack and State Law of Sentinel and Guide enforcement, I hereby arrest you for not following the command of two Guides and two Sentinels. Feel free to press charges but if you’re not removing yourself right now, you’ll need a bed in this hospital.”

Connor realized the moment his father gave up that particular fight. His father was smart enough to realize that there was no way he could ever outsmart a Sentinel and a Cop that knew their rights. His father namely had none to stay here in the close vicinity of Connor whom he was obviously distressing.

Once his father was leaving, Connor sighed, straightened and with the help of Erin and Will and April rebuilt his primary shield. He hadn’t really realized it had failed.

“We need to bond,” Will stated: “And soon.”

“When you’re ready. When I’m ready,” Connor nodded in agreement. Jay looked between both men with a frown but nodded then and touched his brother comfortingly: “You good?”

“I’m good,” Will nodded: “Thanks for coming here this quickly.”

“No problem,” Erin replied with a smile.

Connor was smart enough to read between the lines. He did hear that Jay was worried about his brother and that Will had asked both to come here and help him given that their bond wasn’t strong enough to buffer him completely. They also established the possible bonding period they were having soon.

The small interruption of the not-quite-a-break was interrupted when the first lab results came in.

*

“Your father was rather stupid standing there for as long as he did. He could have died,” Will commented on their way to the L. 

Connor shrugged, kicking a small pebble before focusing on the man next to him: “He always resented the Sentinel and Guide part of the family because it didn’t give him the genetics to overpower and influence other people to his liking. I was tested as latent when I was fairly young but it was just another thing that made me stand out and be faulty in his eyes. Even Claire treated me differently due to my father’s influence. It wasn’t all bad but it wasn’t as good as it should be, either.”

They fell silent for a moment and continued their walk through the darkened street. They were slowly climbing stairs when Will spoke: “My mother passed and it was a rough time. Jay was still overseas, we never spoke to Dad much and haven’t in quite a long time. When I was in Sudan, we started writing. Jay, as a Sentinel, was always close to me somehow. He was always trying to protect me and I tried to shelter him. Fitting, if you think about it. Anyways, I think I came online the second he did.”

“Over the distance? That is remarkable.”

“What no one else seems to understand is that we’re twins. It is not well known and we look different enough that we never announced it. He is younger and we adapted to make him younger by two years on paper. You know how often twin-Sentinel and Guides are being kidnapped due to the believe that we’re magical and somehow always end up a Bonded Pair.”

Connor froze for barely a second and tried to hide his surprise. It would explain quite a bit actually and made sense why he had picked up on Jay being family or pack almost instantly.

They stepped onto the train, quietly heading for Connor’s place.

“I’m ready to bond, if you are,” Will said quietly: “I like you.”

Connor was surprised but nodded: “Do you think I’m ready to bond? Stable enough?”

“Yes.”

By mutual agreement, they meditated and performed the ritual bonding.

 

The beginn~end.


End file.
